The Direction of the New Craft Fair
The Combination
Farmer’s Market & Craft Market
by Joan Bleakly
I HAVE A PERMANENT SHOP in an old historic horse barn in a small rural community named Vail about 7 miles south of Tucson. The Rincon Valley Farmers Market is a combination produce/craft market that has now turned into a real attraction in the Tucson area rather than just a weekend event. I’m on the advisory board of this operation and have met the most interesting people!
There are 22 16′ x 16′ stalls in the barn and they are occupied by a variety of artisans selling their work. There are 21 crafters occupying stall shops inside the barn, about 14 crafters set up along the sides of the long corridor that runs down the center of the barn, plus about 25 crafters under outside canopies at one end of the barn. The produce is sold under a big white tent adjacent to the barn. I have had a permanent shop in one of the 16′ x 16′ horse stalls there for six years now and feature both country and southwest items. I love it! There are considerably more craft items for sale now than when I first began setting up there, and the combination of produce, fruits and handcrafted items has been a very good one.
I put an 8″ x 10″ sign at the door of my shop saying that I finish quilts and also repair antique quilts, and that little sign has brought me almost more business than I can handle. Many people inherit quilt tops, or have one they’ve made that they want finished into a hand-quilted quilt, and that’s what I do. I’ve assembled and hand-quilted six king size quilts this past year and turned them back to their owners and have seven more coming in this next month which will be finished between now and the Spring. This is something I truly enjoy doing and it is a FABULOUS moneymaker! It takes an average of two months to finish a quilt.
THE BARN IS ONLY OPEN on Saturdays and we draw very large crowds for being way out in the country. Produce growers bring wonderful vegetables in each weekend and others sell fresh flowers and plants, gourds, jams, jellies and breads. The winter visitors, as well as the locals, seem to love coming to the barn. I think all are really surprised, especially the Midwesterners, to find a genuine BARN in Arizona. There are cows roaming along the fences surrounding the barn, and several vendors who live in the immediate vicinity of the barn brought their pet goats, sheep, a pig, and a bunch of rabbits last week. Nice “color” for the day . . . kids and parents seem to get a kick out of the animals.
We have a very promotion-minded director at the barn, Molly Eglin. She was the one who had the vision for this entire project and was responsible for getting the whole project underway. She’s still very involved in the operation, but she concentrates on the promotion end now and a barn manager handles the day-to-day activities.) All of our slogans and advertising refer simply to “shopping at the barn,” and we have had several live remote TV telecasts originating there — even for the very early morning 5 a.m.- 8 a.m. shows (we get there at 4 a.m. to get ready). One summer we filmed a 30-second and 60-second TV commercial at the barn that ran all summer on two local channels. (Since we operate as a nonprofit organization, we did the commercial for a fraction of full cost.) We also do a lot of print advertising around town, and have done quite a bit of radio.
This concept of the Farmers Market/Craft Market has become so popular all over the west, but the markets that happen to have a REAL BARN to draw people, are the ones that are enjoying the greatest success. We have five other urban markets in the city, but they don’t come close to enjoying the same response we get . . . out in the country . . . in a barn. People love it!
Personally, I think this is the direction of the “new craft show,” at least in our area. Fortunately for us, we happen to have one of the most unique locations for this type of event. Based on my experience, I know that people still like to go to places where local handcrafted work is being sold. Today’s show promoters doing shows in the Tucson area seem to shy away from advertising their events saying it “costs too much to advertise today.” As a result, attendance is very sketchy and the overall show sales are poor. Promotion is vital . . . and those who don’t recognize this will not draw business.
Craft shows may be cycling out for awhile, but the creative crafter will seek other avenues to market their wares. The opportunities are there . . . you just have to find the ones that are right for you.
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This article continues the discussion begun in “The Future of Craft Fairs & Shows” by Bill Ronay.
The New Farmers’ Market: Farm-Fresh Ideas for Producers. Managers & Communities, by Vance Corum, Marcie Rosenzweig, Eric Gibson
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The Farmer’s market and craft market is catching on here in Maryland. I left a comment under the Ronay’s article, but want to vouch the same for this article too. I believe rural places, albeit in the West or where I live – the Mid-Atlantic region, there is a viable market for craft items at places like farmers markets making for a match made in heaven.
I work part-time, a few days a week, in an late 1800’s church turned into a antique and craft boutique with a big focus on merchandise made within the state. The shop attracts people for different reasons as it is in a good location, housed in a well known landmark in the community, and the shop owners have fun events/sales too. For example, two years ago they had an Elvis weekend, celebrating his birthday and had a sale on everything Elvis, served Elvis’ favorite food, dressing up like Elvis and of course playing Elvis’ greatest hits. To date that weekend generated the most sales ever. This summer the owners are planning on having a small craft show open to local artists on the property and a road side antique/craft sale on the property. On occasion the owners allow nurseries to sell flowers in front of the shop. These promotions have generated a lot of publicity and great sales while at the same time helps in educating the public about the historic landmark.
Other nearby locations such as old fashioned mills and farms are now offering art/craft shows too. I am finding such places turning to crafts people as an effective marketing tool to boost tourism in the area, awareness of what the farms and mills offer, and most importantly keep them generating money. This is appealing to many in today’s economy as it offers a great way to spend a day learning about local history in an inexpensive way yet giving patrons the ability to BUY a piece of history and support the community.
I love this article, very informative and gives me hope as an craft person that we are still in a viable market that appreciates homemade craft objects. – Michelle